The world of Online Digital Marketing is an ever shifting platform, and industry demands are constantly changing. This can make it particularly difficult for Small Business Owners to stay ahead of their market and make sure their website is catering to their customers’ current demands.
Thankfully, there is a quick and easy solution to making sure you’re on the right track with your marketing and branding efforts. And the solution is… Creating a Customer Avatar!
By creating a Customer Avatar you’re more able to visualize your customer’s needs and desires, better positioning you to cater for exactly what it is they’re looking for.
If you’re still a little unclear of what exactly a Customer Avatar is and how yours should look, don’t be put off. We’ve compiled a list of answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about Customer Avatars to help get you in the know.
So, What is a Customer Avatar?
A Customer Avatar is a fictional profile of what your potential customers could be. Your Customer Avatar should be detailed and specific qualities that resemble people from your target market, and should be as explicit as possible.
The aim of a Customer Avatar is to visualize the type of person who is interested in your products or services. Envisage who it is that will be viewing your website, and be as creative as you can!
While statistics are valuable to foreseeing potential futures for your business, a Customer Avatar is helpful in a different way. Your Avatar profile is imagined, meaning you can think outside the realm of numbers to create personal emotional scenarios that apply directly to your customers. This will help you better understand the poignant emotions you can draw on when creating your website in order to provide your customers with exactly what they want.
What should I Include in a Customer Avatar?
Your Customer Avatar should be as detailed as possible. This means you should include sections for their goals, influences and, perhaps most importantly, paint points.
Detail all the personal information you can in the profile, which includes elements like age, sex, marital status, the location they live in and even if they have any children. Include what their occupation is, their income and their level of education. List everything you can think of which might help you define their character profile.
Identifying their role in the purchase, and any foreseeable objections that they may have will also be highly valuable. Are they more interested in services or products? Are they buying for themselves, or someone else?
All of this information will help clarify the current trends within your industry market place, but you need to know how to use this information to form a truly powerful website that grabs immediate attention! And lucky for you, we’ll tell you exactly how to do so later in this post.
Should I Create Multiple Avatars?
Yes! No one shopper will be the same, so feel free to make multiple avatars to really get a good grasp of your customer base.
Making two or three different Customer Avatars and putting them somewhere that you can look at everyday will keep your market at the forefront of your mind. This is who you are selling to, and their uniqueness should never be underestimated.
Sure, it takes time to create these Customer Avatar profiles; however the time you dedicate to fleshing out the details of who your clients are will only enable you to create the ideal website that will appeal to them perfectly. This could lead to a significant increase in customer engagement and generate sales.
Should I Create a Negative Avatar?
Absolutely, in fact you should make it first. By making a negative Custom Avatar first, you are identifying the type of client you do not want to market to, which will help clarify the type of person you do want.
However, don’t get stuck on how their personality makes them a difficult client, that’s not the aim of this exercise. What you instead want to focus on is how your products or services do not fit this client well.
Define their goals, interests and demographic as someone who just wouldn’t suit your business practically. Keep it professional, as this is the best way that you as a Small Business Owner can benefit from a negative Customer Avatar.
What Should I Do Once I’ve Created My Avatars?
Now that you’ve made a few different Customer Avatars, including a negative profile, stick them in a place that will ensure they’re always on the top of your mind. This will help you visualize your Business Goals on a broad spectrum, especially in terms of your Business Vision.
Even more importantly, these profiles can be used to improve your Websites appeal to potential customers. By really understanding who your customers are and what they want, you are able to alter and adapt your website to suit their specific needs and requirements.
Analyze every element of your Website or Ecommerce Store through the eyes of your Customer Avatars. Does your Site appeal to these fictional characters? Is there something you can change to make it cater more appropriately for their needs?
These changes could include anything from basic usability to increasing the number of images on your site. For example, if your Customer Avatar has alerted you to the fact that older people may be using your website, then having easy-to-read text could be a very beneficial alteration to make. If you’ve discovered your target market is largely dominated by time-poor mothers, consider redesigning your layout to make it as efficient and time-saving as possible.
Should I Ever Change My Avatar?
The Online Digital Marketing World is constantly shifting and changing, which means your Customer Avatar should too. There will be changes in trends and fashions which will ultimately change what it is your customers are looking for, and it’s important that you stay up-to-date with your customers’ needs and wishes.
Try to reassess your Customer Avatar on a quarterly basis, as even minor changes to the social climate can have a significant impact. If you can keep on top of these changes you’ll reap the rewards of a Small Business that’s able to give its customers exactly what they want!
Hopefully by now you understand the importance of creating a Customer Avatar for your Small Business and the benefits that you can reap from doing so. Keep up with your market and make sure your Website or Ecommerce Store is constantly updated to show off the best side of your Business.
If you need to update your Website or Ecommerce Store, contact us here at Sites n Stores. We’ll help you to understanding the ins and outs of Modern Digital Marketing and how you can best maximize your potential online presence. Call us today on 1300 796 530, or email us at sites@sitesnstores.com.au.
